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Sunday, March 1, 2015

Earl Weaver Teaches the Art of Umpire Arguing: The Baseball Historian’s Notes for the Week of March 1, 2015

Los Angeles Angels’ slugger Josh
Hamilton has had a roller coaster career. The former first overall draft
pick has fought through addiction to forge an abbreviated All-Star career in
the majors. Unfortunately, word
came down this past week that the 33-year-old had suffered a relapse with drugs
and alcohol and is facing a lengthy ban.

Hamilton should be a cautionary tale for everyone, both
young and old. No matter how talented or what amazing opportunities are
available, nobody is immune from going down such dark paths. Addiction is a
disease, and one that is able to dig its claws in like no other. He will
hopefully be able to fight back like he has before but even if he does there is
no way to reclaim the portions of his life and career that have already passed
by.

And now, on to the notes for the week…

*Former outfielder Jim
King has died
at the age of 82. The left-handed hitter played in 11 major league seasons
between 1955 and 1967 for six different teams, achieving his greatest success
with the Washington Senators. He hit a combined .240 with 117 home runs in
1,125 games.

*Another passing
to report in former journeyman pitcher Don Johnson
at the age of 88. The right-hander had parts of seven seasons in the majors
with five different teams, going a combined 27-38 with a 4.78 ERA in 198 games
(70 starts). His best season came with the 1954 Chicago White Sox, as he was
8-7 with a 3.13 ERA and three shutouts.

*The Splendid Splinter, Ted Williams,
was one of the greatest hitters baseball has ever known, spending his entire
19-season career with the Boston Red Sox. His death in 2002 created sensational
headlines, not just because of the passing of a legend but because of his
participation in Cryogenics, which has kept his head frozen in the hopes of
future revival. The 30-for-30 short film, An Immortal Man, is a tremendous
look at the controversy and his enduring legacy.

*Few players were as beloved as St. Louis Cardinals great Stan Musial.
This clip
provides both video and audio of the sweet-swinging lefty’s final big league
at-bat, which ended his legendary career with 3,630 base hits and a .331
batting average.

*Minor league baseball has been a presence in Pawtucket,
Rhode Island for decades, including the last 42 years as the Triple-A affiliate
of the Red Sox. It was recently announced that connection is coming to an end,
as the team has been bought by a group of investors who plan to relocate to nearby
Providence in 2017. It will be a tough loss not only for the city and its
economy but also because of the history it represents. Many future major
leaguers and seminal baseball moments have graced McCoy Stadium over the years.
The New York Times’ Dan Barry
recently reviewed
the team’s past and the change that is ahead.

*More than 100 years have passed since the occurrence of one
of baseball’s greatest mysteries. During spring training in 1907, Red Sox (Then
called the Americans) player-manager Chick Stahl
committed suicide by drinking carbolic acid. He had accumulated a .305 batting
average over 10 big league seasons and was about to begin his first full season
as skipper before his untimely death at the age of 34. The Naples Herald’s Glenn Miller has more on this sad
story.

*Babe Ruth
wasn’t just the best-known ballplayer of his lifetime and a national hero. He
was also a showman who was involved in many entertainment pursuits off the
field. This photo shows his work
in the 1927 movie Babe Comes Home. He played Babe
Dugan, a star player with Los Angeles Angels—not exactly a far stretch from real
life.

*Although right-handed hitter Joey Meyer
was one of the best slugging prospects in the 1980s, he played just two seasons
in the majors—both with the Milwaukee Brewers. He didn’t pan out the way many
might have expected but he is still remembered well in minor league circles. In
particular, he hit one ridiculously
long home run in Denver in 1987 that still defies belief.

*Baseball is a game that can be conquered through the use of
many discreet advantages. One of them is the art of pitch framing, which is
delved into in some
depth by Grantland’s Ben Lindbergh.
In particular, former catcher Brad Ausmus
and Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis
Eckersley are cited as two masters of this precise art.

*In addition to hitting lots of home runs, former Baltimore
Orioles slugger Boog Powell
was a talented pitchman. This 1978 television ad for Miller
Lite Beer displays those talents, as long as you don’t mind the mean-spirited
humor directed at the umpire.

*It’s hard to believe but apparently Hall-of-Fame pitcher Addie Joss
was discovered by “Professor Henry Lewis,” a performer whose profession was
playing pool with his nose and other non-hand body parts. Baseball History Daily has the full story here.
The professor was never paid the small bonus promised for his discovery but presumably
went on to sniff out a living by virtue of his schnozz.

*Finally, during his Hall-of-Fame career with the Orioles, manager
Earl
Weaver was nearly as well known for his arguing with umpires as he was for
helming annual contenders. It’s tough to teach such skills but this clip shows how he once
tried to school Bob Uecker
in the art of really giving it to the men in blue.